Why bra size doesn't matter and Bra Fitting does

Our culture is obsessed with numbers and labels. Every item we wear has a size, brand, and price associated with it. That Gucci purse? Those, “I’m afraid of heights” heels? That dress. The bra you’re wearing? Yep, that too.

We ladies have a weakness for all those numbers. We use them to compare ourselves to everyone else because often that’s how society tells us we should be measured. When it’s on the cover of every magazine, front, and center on every channel, and whispered in groups how do you avoid it? We simply can’t help but compare, quantify, and categorize things…. All things.

I can’t be the only one that’s overheard a group of ladies talking about what size they are. “I’m a size 6,” says one of them. “Oh yeah, “I’m a size 0,” her friend replies with a smirk. I purse my lips, “Yeah? Well, I have better car insurance than you do. TAWANDA!!” Ok, maybe that last part is a bit too far but who doesn’t love a good Fried Green Tomatoes reference?

Fact is that these same women that have boiled themselves down to a single number aren’t telling the whole story. No one ever says, “I’m a size 4 in my little black dress but I’m a size extra large in my favorite lounge clothes, size 8 when my aunt Flo visits, and a size 6 the day after my husband gets take-out Chinese”. Oooo Chinese does sound good. Seriously though, ALL of those sizes are in her closet. It’s just the way it is.

 

At that moment we are just a number.

 

I chuckle when I hear that conversation and the typical fallout that ensues. You all know what I’m talking about. The lady who feels she’s “won” the conversation stands up a little taller and her friends…not so much. It may be unfair, but we use size as a literal measuring stick of self-worth. We identify with it. Very few times do I hear “I typically wear size such and such.” It’s always “I am a size such and such.”

 

I Am – the complete embodiment of being. When we phrase our words and our thinking this way, we align ourselves with an arbitrary man-made number. The ramification? We relegate ourselves to an inferior position that takes a toll on self-esteem. We take away all the amazing and wonderful things that make us the fairer sex, all the nuance, and style that we fought for. At that moment we are just a number.

 

That same conversation almost always devolves to bra sizes. Whether due to self-consciousness or the need to “outdo” the others; ladies start slinging their bra sizes around. “I’m no 6, but I am a D.” or “I am a 36D.” It’s our own version of men comparing golf scores.

 

Just like the example we’ve already talked about, most of us can likely walk into our closet right now and find 4 different sizes of clothes. We’ve all experienced what I like to call a “size debacle”. You fit “x” size in this store, but you have to go 2 sizes up in another. You may also be aware that even in your favorite brand if you change styles your size varies.

 

Bras & lingerie are no different! Each brand has their own sizing, different fit models, and fit recommendations. There is no industry standard, national standard or international standard of sizing. You may fall into a range of sizes on average, but you will not ever wear the same exact size across the board. So why do we choose to define ourselves by these numbers? We’re worth so much more than that!

 

Each brand has their own sizing, different fit models, and fit recommendations.

 

I love the Special K “More than a number” campaign for this reason. You know the one. The ladies go shopping in a boutique where the only sizes they find are “Radiant”, “Confident” or “Fabulous”. That is our goal when you walk into The Perky Lady. We make sure you leave feeling fabulous! After all, our own motto is, “Magnify the woman within”. We’re not looking to change anyone, we just want the woman you already are to shine bright!

 

Most of our friends walk into the shop wearing a bra with a less than stellar fit that leads them to feel, well, less than stellar. As a bra fitter, my job is to cut through the endless variants of sizing across brands to provide you with a stress-free phenomenal fit!

 

Each of our professional fitters has done this a million times and are able to properly fit clients into 3 different sizes on average. Yes, all 3 sizes are able to provide a wonderful fit. Notice I said we fit you, NOT size you. There is a difference. 

 

In spite of their amazing new fit-tastic bra, at the end of the most fit appointments the first question we hear is, “What size am I?” I struggle with this – a lot.

 

It’s not that we bra fitters want to hide information from our clients, but we want them to feel size Fabulous, not just a number! Women value these arbitrary number letter combos so much that it can be psychologically detrimental if what size fits is not in line with how they are already defining themselves. One client refused to buy a bra for her daughter until she had on a size she “had heard of before”.  All this despite, physical discomfort her daughter experienced in the size the mother made her wear. She could not reconcile that she saw her daughter in a specific size, but was fit into another she was not familiar with. Others have busted into tears because they could not reconcile that they were smaller than they thought. We’ve even had sisters fight to see who had the larger cup size.

 

…we want them to feel size Fabulous, not just a number!

 

The long and the short…the number-letter combo of whatever bra you are wearing doesn’t define you. So, let’s de-emphasis size. Bra sizing is man-made and subject to change in interpretation, standard, and execution.
You are radiant. You are confident. You are fabulous. You are more than a number.

 

So step out of the box and let us support you on your journey to feel amazing!

 

Whether you are shopping for new bras or lingerie come to see the gals at The Perky Lady. We know how hard it has been in the past to find great bras that fit well. We take the stress out of bra & lingerie shopping, and we make it fun! Reserve your personalized bra fitting today!